Universally mounted panel light



Aug. 3, 1954 H. s. Ross 2,685,640

UNIVERSALLY MOUNTED PANEL LIGHT Filed March 5, 1951 HOWARD S. ROSS, INVENTOR.

ATTORNEK Patented Aug. 3, 1954 UNITED STATES PAT NT `OFFIC-E UNIVERSALLY MOUNTED PANEL LIGHT Application March 3, 1951, Serial No. 213,765

l Claims. l

This invention relates to lamps and more particularly to a lamp adapted to be mounted on a wall with special reference to wall panels of vehicles such as aircraft, trains, buses, and the like.

Since the invention has vspecial advantage for use in aircraft and is being 'initially incorporated in a structure for that purposey the description of such a panel light is selected for the present disclosure. Those skilled in 'the art 'will find in this embodiment adequate guidanc'e'for applying the underlying principles ofthe invention to other specific purposes wherever the invention may have utility.

The present preferred form of the invention arises from a combination of requirements peculiar to aircraft.

Panel lights are mounted in wall openings to direct light beams in 'various directions relative to the walls for various illumination purposes. it is highly desirable, for a number of reasons, to provide a single model of such a lamp that may be easily and quickly set when installed to direct its light beam in any desired direction. The present invention meets this need with a novel arrangement in which the lamp housing is supported by a ball member that is universally adjustable in a complementary ball socket.

A special feature oi the invention is provision for directing the iight beam at an exceptionally low angle relative to the wall. For this purpose the socket for the ball member is in eifect tilted or inclined to make such a low angle possible in one radial direction and the socket is rotatable to vary this direction as may be desired in `installing the lamp or in subsequently adjusting the lamp.

While the normal friction of the ball member in the socket may be relied upon to hold the lamp in any desired angle of adjustment, special clamping means may be employed for this purpose. The preferred form of the invention is characterized by an adjustment that not only releasably tightens the socket to clamp the ball member at a selected position, but also and at the same time releasably clamps the socket itself in a selected .radial direction of tilt.

Because space considerations are important in aircraft and especially because a projecting. lamp structure is a hazard, it is desirable to have most of the lamp structure set back from the front face of 'the wall and, of course, all wiring connections are behind the walls in aircraft construction. This situation poses certain problems in servicing and inspecting the lamp, especially in the replacement of bulbs in the concealed lamp structure.

(Cl. 24U- 8.16)

The present invention Ameets this problem by making the supporting struct-ure for thelamp releasably attachabl-e to the wall in -a manner to permit removal of the lamp fromrthe wail with a single hand movement. The arrangement is such that this rem-oval of the lamp structure not only exposes the wiring for the lamp, but also makes the lamp structure, including the bulb socket, accessible for inspection and servicing. No tools whatsoever arere'quired to carry out this procedure and replace a burnt out light bulb An important feature is that removal of the lamp structure in this manner `does not disturb the setting of the lamp with respect to the direction'and angle at which the lamp is adjusted at the time of installation.

A further requirement 'common in aircraft usage, `especially in military planes, is provision for darkening the light beam from the lamp when desired. Thus red iilters are commonly used on the lamps to avoid interfering with the'vsion of'personnelA at night and to keep the illumination from making the aircraft conspicuous. Itis undesirable to useilter accessories that Aare separate from the lamp structure and may be lost. In this regard the invention has the advantage of a novel form 'of built-inadjustable lter which may be moved into and out ofeective position by a simple linger adjustment. Any-necessity for adding special external controls ior the filter is avo'ided'by making the exposed fron-t end oi the lamp housing rotatable with the ilter'operatively responsive to such rotation.

The various features and advantages or the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description taken with the accompanying drawings.

In the drawinga-which are to be regarded as merely illustrative,

Figure 1 is a frontelevation of the invention as mounted in an aircraft wall;

Figure 2 is a rear elevation of the li-nvention with 'a portion of the lamp housing broken away;

Figure 3 is a side-elevation of the lamp proper with associated supporting structure shown in section;

Figure'i is-a sectional viewtaken as indicated by the line ie- 1l of Figure 3; and

Figure v5 is a perspective view of the filter Yand an associated control member,l thetwo parts being shown 4spaced apart for clarity.

The vdrawings show the invention mounted in a circular opening in a thin .sheet metal wall IG that is typical of Iaircraft construction. /Thegeneral arrangement consists-essentially of: support structure, generally designated l l, that is adapted 3 for mounting in the wall opening and forms a spherically curved socket I2; a ball member i3 that seats in the socket I2 and is hollow to form a passage for the light beam from the lamp; a lamp housing, generally designated i4, mounted on the ball member to extend rearwardly therefrom; and a filter element I5 that is manually adjustable between an edgewise position shown in solid lines in Figure 4 and a transverse position shown in dash-dot lines.

While the support structure I! may take varous forms and may be quite simple in construction, the present preferred embodiment of the invention is characterized by a tilted socket I2 that is rotatably adjustable with respect tothe wall opening and is also adjustable to clamp the ball member I3 in any desired position. To provide these features it is advantageous to use a support structure II that includes a front plate I8, a back plate I9, and an outer ring 25. Since the sheet metal wall Ili is thin and somewhat ilexible, an annular mounting element herein shown as a iianged collar` 23 is mounted on the inner side of the wall around the rim of the circular wall opening for the dual purpose of locally reinforcing the wall and of cooperating with the ring 2G to mount the support structure II in place in a conveniently releasable manner.

In the construction shown the flanged collar 23 is attached to the wall I by suitable rivets 24 and for the purpose of cooperating with the ring Z, is provided with two fixed pins 25 that extend radialh7 into the wall opening from diametrically opposite sides of the collar. For cooperation with the pins 25 the ring 25 has a suitable pair of spring clips 28 mounted thereon by rivets 2, the spring clips having upturned ends 2B to slide over the pins and being formed with offset portions 25 to releasably grasp the pins. It may be noted that the spring clips 25 are oppositely disposed for movement into engagement with the pins 25 by counter-clockwise rotation of the ring as viewed from the rear in Figure 2, or clockwise rotation as viewed from the front.

Preferably the arrangement is such that when the lamp is mounted in the wall the spring clips 25 exert pressure in cooperation with the front plate I8 to hold the support structure ii snugly in place with no looseness. For this purpose the front plate I8 has the configuration of a shallow cup to fit back into the wall opening and is formed with a radial rim flange 36 that is normally pressed against the front face of the wall I by the spring action of the two clips 25.

The socket I2 is formed by the two plates I8 and I9 in cooperation with each other and has an inner configuration which may be dened as conforming to a sphere truncated from two sides, for example, by parallel planes lying equidistant on opposite sides of the center of the sphere. In Figures 3 and 4 the edges of the two opposite socket openings are indicated by dot-dash lines 33 which represent the intersection of the hypothetical planes with the hypothetical sphere and it will be noted in Figure 4 that these two parallel planes are inclined or tilted with respect to the planes of the front and back plates i8 and I9. To provide this tilted socket the front plate I8 is formed with a forwardly presented lip or rim 34 and the back plate I9 is formed with a similarly rearwardly presented lip or rim 35, each lip tapering in both directions from a high point 36 and the two high points being at diametrically opposite positions.

The front and back plates I8 and I9 cooperate to releasably clamp the ring 20 from opposite sides and for the purpose of centering the two plates relative to the ring 20, the back plate I9 is cut away at its inner margin to provide a shallow annular seat 38 for the ring. Suitable means to draw the two plates I8 and I9 together for clamping the ring 20 may comprise a pair of screws that extend through the two plates from the front and thread into nuts (not shown) encased in sheet metal jackets 4I. Each of the jackets 4I, which is of well known construction, has a pair of wings attached to the back plate I9 by rivets 43.

The ball member I3, which is of the same general truncated spherical conguration as the socket I2, is adapted in any suitable manner to carry the lamp proper together with the adjustable filter element I5. In the construction shown the lamp housing I4 is of cylindrical conguration with a rear end wall 45 and is held in assembly with the ball member I3 by a split expansile ring 45. Preferably the end wall 45 is dished as shown and is polished on its inner surface to serve as a light reflector.

integral with the lamp housing I4 is a radially positioned collar 4'I that is united with the cylindrical body of the lamp housing by a conical skirt 48 and is adapted to hold a socket assembly, generally designated 50, in which is mounted a lamp bulb 5l. The outer end of the socket assembly 55 has suitable terminals 52 for electric wires (not shown) and is provided with a radial flange 53 for releasable engagement by a rubber cup 54 on the end of a rubber tube 55 that protects the wires. The rubber cup 54, which is reinforced by a rim bead 56, may be peeled away from the iiange 53 for access to the wires whenever required.

For convenience in replacing the lamp bulb 5I whenever necessary, the housing I4 has a suitable opening in its circumferential wall which is large enough to pass the lamp bulb and is positioned for easy access to the bulb. Normally the opening 60 is closed by a split, thin-walled sleeve 6I that is resiliently contractile to releasably embrace the lamp housing I4 and may be quickly removed and replaced as desired without the use of tools.

Since it is contemplated that the lamp will project a relatively narrow beam of light it is desirable to include a lens 62 in the form of a condenser. In the construction shown the interior of the lamp housing I4 is cut away at its forward end to provide an annular shoulder 64 against which the lens 62 abuts and the lens is heldin place by a suitable flanged retaining sleeve that is mounted in the lamp housing I4 with a forced t.

As heretofore stated, the filter element I5, which is a fiat lens or disc of red glass, is responsive to rotation of a tubular extension of the lamp housing. Figure 4 shows a knurled tubular member 5? rotatably mounted in the forward portion of the ball member I3, the tubular member being rotatably held in place by a radial shoulder 58 in abutment with a complementary annular shoulder 69 formed in the ball member I3.

The lter element I5 is pivotally mounted inside the tubular member B'I by suitable pivot pins 'I0 that provide a pivot axis diametrically positioned to intersect the longitudinal axis of the tubular member. Adjacent the inner end of the tubular member 61 is a guide, generally designated 1I, having two spaced walls 12 forming a xed radial guideway 13. As best shown in Figure 5, the guide 1i may be in the form of a ring having two ngers to serve as the walls 12 of the radial guideway 13. Such a ring may be maintained against rotation in the ball member by forced nt or other provision.

A suitable xed extension from the filter element I cooperates with the radial guideway 13 to rotate the lter element in response to rotation or the tubular member 61. In the constructionshown, a simple pin l5 is nxedly mounted in the lter element I5 to serve as an operating arm for sliding engagement with .the radial guideway 13. 'Io provide the required coaction, the axis of the `pin should pass through the point at which the diametrical pivot axis of the filter element intersects the longitudinal axis of the tubular member 61. The pin should be approximately at a 45 degree angle relative to the plane of the iilter element I5 and should likewise be in a plane approximately 45 degrees inclined from the axis of the two pivot pins 10.

YWith the radial guideway 13 also inclined approximately 45 degrees from the pivot axis, as shown in Figures 1 and 5, rotation of the tubular member B1 causes rotation of the filter element l5 arising from sliding connement of the end of the pin 15 in the guideway 13.

It is to be noted that the radial guideway 13 holds the pin 15 against any movement except angular movement in the plane dened by the guideway and the longitudinal axis of the tubular member 61. Rotation of the knurled tubular member 61 presses the free end of the pin 15 against one wall of the fixed radial guideway 13 and thereby sets up reaction forces that rotate the filter element about its axis. Thus the iilter element not only rotates about the axis of the two pivot pins 10, but also simultaneously rotates about the axis of the pin 15. It will be noted in Figure 4 that one of the walls 12 of the radial guideway 13 serves as a stop to limit the rotation of the lter element I5 at the edgewise position of the lter element.

In the course of rotation of the filter element between the edgewise position shown in solid lines in Figure 4 and the transverse position shown in dash-dot lines in Figure 4 as well as in full lines in Figure l, the pin first moves inward from the outer end oi the radial guideway 13 and then returns to the outer end of the guideway. The arrangement may be such, therefore, that the pin cooperates with the outer end of the radial guideway to serve as a stop at the transverse position of the lter element.

OperationV of the invention may be readily understood from the foregoing description. With the screws 40 tightened to cause the two plates I8 and I9 to grip the ring 2Q, it is a simple matter to mount the support structure I I in the wall opening after the electrical connections to the lamp have been completed through the rubber tube 55. The assembly is simply moved in to the wall opening and then rotated clockwise to bring the two spring clips 28 into retaining engagement with the xed pins 25.

Once. the ring has been engaged with the pins in this manner, the two screws 4I) may be loosened suiciently to permit the two plates I8 and I9 to be rotated about the ring to cause the socket I2 to tilt in any direction desired. In any installation where it is desirable to have the lamp housing I4 directed at an angle as close as possible to the. plane of the wall II1,.the two platesk 6 I8 and I9 will Ybe ,rotated accordingly to tiltthe socket I2 in the desired direction.

When the two plates I8 vand I9 have been rotated for this purpose the projecting tubular member 61 is used in the manner of'a handle to rotate the ball member I3 in the socket I2 as may be required to position the lamp housing I4 at the desired angle inthe .desired direction and then the two screws 40 are tightened to clamp and fix the assembly at the desired adjustment setting. lIhe tightening of .the two screws not only causes the two plates I8 and I9 to grip the ring 20 in a rigid manner. but also draws the two lips 34 and 35 against the ball member I3 with suiiicient pressure to clamp or freeze .the ball member in the socket I2.

When the lamp is in use, itis a simple matter to rotate the tubular member 61 manually to place the filter element I5 in either of its two limit positions. If the lamp bulb 5I burns out. it is a simple matter to release the assembly from the wall opening by a twist of the wrist .to disengage the spring clips. .26 from the 'xed pins 25. No tools are required to remove the thin-walled sleeve 6I for access to the burnt out bulb.

It is especially woteworthy that such removal of the assembly from the wall opening does not require loosening of the two-.screws 40 and, therefore, does not disturb the original setting and adjustment of the parts that were iixed at'the time of installation by tightening the two screws. Thus removing the lamp from the wall for serv ice or inspection does not. require any .adjustment whatsoever in replacing the assembly.

recting a light beam therefrom; a tube positioned to serve as an extension of said opening, said tube being mounted on said housing for rotation about its longitudinal axis; a filter pivotally mounted inside said tube for rotation about. an axis extending diametrically of the tube; a guide spaced from said lter in line with said opening', said guide having a fixed guide channel positioned radially of the tube at an acute angle to the plane defined by the longitudinal axis of the tube and said pivot axis of the filter; and an operating member iixedly carried by said lter in sliding engagement with said guide channel to cause rotation of the lter on its pivot axis in response` to rotation of said tube on its longitudinal axis.

2. .A lamp as set forth in claim l in which said operating member is a pin mounted on the filter at an acute angle thereto in alignment with the intersection of the pivot axis of the lter with the longitudinal axis of the tube.

3. A lamp of the character described for mounting in an opening, said lamp comprising: a support structure adapted for mounting in said opening, said structure providing a socket having the inner coniguration of a sphere truncated by substantially Vparallel planes on opposite sides of the center of the sphere; a truncated ball member movably embraced by said socket, said ball member having a passage therethrough; a lamp housing carried by said ball member with an opening for directing a light beam through said passage; a tube positioned forward of said opening in line with the opening, said tube being supported by said ball member and being rotatable about the longitudinal axis of the tube; a iilter member pivotally mounted inside said tube for rotation about an axis extending diametrically of the tube; a guide spaced from said filter meinber in line with said opening, said guide having a fixed guide channel positioned radially of the tube at an acute angle to the plane defined by the longitudinal axis of the tube and said pivot axis of the lter element; and an operating arm xedly carried by said filter element in sliding engagement with said guide channel to cause rotation of the lter element on its pivot axis in response to rotation of said tube on its longitudinal axis.

4. A lamp as set forth in claim 3 in which said lamp housing is mounted in the rear end of said passage in the ball member and said tube is mounted in the front end of the passage,

5. A lamp of the character described for mounting in an opening in a wall, said lamp comprising: support structure adapted for releasable attachment to the wall to close said opening, said structure forming a central truncated ball socket; a ball member seated in said socket, said ball member having a passage therethrough; a lamp housing mounted on the back of said ball member to direct a beam of light through said passage; a tubular extension rotatably mounted at the front of said ball passage; and a iilter element movable between a position across the axis of said passage and a position edgewise to the passage; and means to move said filter between said positions in response to rotation of said tubular extension.

6. A lamp of the character described for mounting in an opening in a wall, said lamp comprising: a ring member for said wall opening; means to releasably attach said ring member to the wall at the wall opening; two plates lying against opposite sides of said ring, said plates having apertures with lips cooperating to form a ball socket; a ball member seated in said socket, said ball member having a passage therethrough; means to releasably draw said two plates towards each other to clamp the plates to said ring; a lamp housing mounted on the back of said ball member to direct a beam of light through said passage; and a tubular extension rotatably mounted at the front of said ball passage; and a lter movable between a position across the axis of said passage and a position edgewise to the passage; and means to move said filter between said positions in response to rotation of said tubular extension.

'7. A lamp as set forth in claim 6 in which said drawing means releasably contracts said socket around said ball member to fix the position of the ball member in the socket.

8. A lamp of the character described for mounting in an opening in a wall, said lamp comprising: an annular mounting element to be fixed to said wall and including means concentric with the opening of said wall, two plates positioned face to face for spanning said annular mounting element, each of said plates having an aperture with a lip at one peripheral portion of the aperture, the lip on each plate being turned outward in the direction away from the other plate, said lips cooperating to form a socket open on two sides of the plates; a ball member having a passage therethrough seated in said socket; a lamp hous- 8V ing mounted on said ball member at the rear thereof and projecting light through said passage, said lips being at diametrically opposite positions relative to said apertures whereby said socket may be tilted relative to the plane of said opening so that the lamp on said ball member may be turned to relatively7 low angles relative to said wall; means to interconnect said two plates to hold the plates and ball member in assembled positions; and means for releasably mounting said assembled plates and ball member to the means of said mounting element concentric with said opening.

9. A lamp of the character described for mounting in an opening in a wall, comprising; an annular mounting element to be xed to said wall concentric with said opening; a support structure adapted for mounting across the opening of said mounting element, said structure providing a socket having an inner configuration conforming to a sphere truncated on two sides; a ball member having a passage therethrough seated in said socket and projecting outwardly of the truncated open sides; a lamp housing carried by the inner portion of said ball member for directing a light beam through said passage, the forward truncated side of said socket being inclined to extend forwardly relative to said support structure to permit rotation of said lamp housing to a relatively low angle with reference to the wall; and means for releasably connecting said support structure to said annular mounting element whereby said support structure may be detached from the latter to expose said lamp housing for service and maintenance.

10. A lamp assembly of the type described to be mounted behind a wall having an opening therethrough, comprising: an annular mounting element to be fixed to said wall concentric with said opening; a support member; means carried by said mounting element and cooperatively engageable with means carried by said support member for releasably connecting said support member to said mounting element; means carried by said support member forming a socket open on two sides thereof; a ball member having a passage therethrough seated in said socket; and a lamp housing carried by said ball on the inner side thereof for directing light forwardly through said passage; said support member including means for clampingly engaging said socket about said ball after the latter has been moved to a desired position of adjustment for holding said ball and associated lamp socket against movement, said support member being detachable from said mounting element whereby said lamp housing may be withdrawn for service and maintenance without aiiecting the relative position of the ball within said socket.

ll. A lamp of the character described for mounting in an opening in a wall, comprising: an annular mounting element to be fixed to the wall concentric with said opening; a ring member; means partially carried by said ring member and partially carried by said support member for deta-chably mounting said ring member in a preselected position concentrically within the opening of said` support member; a ball-receiving socket open at opposite ends; means for rotatably mounting said socket to said ring member; a ball member having a passage therethrough seated in said socket; a lamp housing mounted to the rear portion of said ball member for projecting light rays forwardly through said passage; releasable means for holding said socket mounting means against rotation relative to said ring, whereby said socket may be moved to and held in a preselected position relative to said ring; the means detachabiy mounting said ring member to Said mounting eiement permitting said lamp housing to be cie-mounted from the opening in said wall for service and maintenance and remounted without aifecting the angular adjustment of said socket relative to said ring.

i2. A lamp assembly to be mounted behind a wall having an opening therethrough comprising; an annular support member to be fixed to said wall concentric with said opening; a ring member; means partially carried by said support member and partially carried by said ring member for detachably mounting said ring member within said wall opening; two plates lying against opposite faces of said ring member, said plates having apertures with defining rim elements cooperating to form a ball-receiving socket having an axis askew to the faces of said plates engaged with the ring member; a bail member having a passage therethrough seated in said socket, said plates being rotatable relative to said ring member to vary the angular direction of the axis of said socket relative to said ring member; manually releasable means for drawing said plates toward each other to clampingly engage said ring therebetween whereby said plates may be held against rotation relative to said ring and the ball against movement relative to said socket; and a iamp housing mounted to the inner end of said bali member for directing light forwardly through said passage.

13. A lamp assembly to be mounted behind a Wall having an openingtherethrough, comprising: a ring member; a pair of plates arranged on opposite sides of said ring member, said plates having apertures with defining rim elements co operating to form a ball-receiving socket; a ball member having a passage therethrough seated in said socket; a lamp housing; means for securing said housing to said ball member to project rearwardly therefrom and directing a light beam forwardly through said passage; means for clampingly engaging said ring intermediate said plates with said socket clampingly retaining said ball against accidental movement from a desired adjusted position relative to said socket; an annular element to be secured to the rear face of said wall concentric with the opening therein; a collar carried by said element and projecting rearwardly of said wall; and releasable means for concentrically mounting said ring within said collar with the plates closing the opening of said collar and mounting said ball and associated lamp housing behind said wall.

14. A lamp assembly of the type described, comprising: a rst ring, adapted to be mounted to the rear face of a wall having an opening therein, said first ring having an annular flange concentric with said opening; a pair of diametrically opposed pins radially extending inwardly from said flange; a second ring; a pair of resilient iingers diametrically carried by said second ring and adapted to be detachably engaged over said pins by relative rotational movement of said two rings; a pair of plates arranged on opposite sides of said second ring, said plates having apertures with rims cooperating to form a ball socket; a ball member having a passage therethrough seated in said socket; a lamp housing carried by the rear portion of said ball member and directing a light beam forwardly through said passage; and means for clampingly engaging said plates against opposing faces of said second ring to mount said ball and lamp housing thereto and to close the opening of said second ring, said second ring being removable from said rst ring by disengaging said fingers from said pins, whereby said lamp housing may be withdrawn for service and maintenance.

15. A lamp assembly of the type described, comprising: an annular mounting element to be fixed to the rear surface of a wall having an opening therein; an annular fiange carried by said element extending rearwardly of said Wall concentric with said opening; a ring; means eX- tending inwardly from said flange and engageable with means carried by said ring for detachably mounting the latter within the opening of said annular element; a pair of plates arranged on opposite sides of said ring, said plates having apertures with defining rim elements cooperating to form a ball-receiving socket; a ball member having a passage therethrough seated in said socket; a lamp housing carried by said ball member at the rear thereof and directing light forwardly through said passage; and means for clampingly engaging said plates against opposing faces of said ring with the rim elements of said plates retaining said ball against accidental movement from a desired adjusted position relative to said socket, said ring being removable from said mounting element by disengaging said means of the ange from the means of the ring, whereby said lamp housing "may be withdrawn for service and maintenance and remounted Without affecting the relative position of the ball Within said socket.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,118,970 Thompson Dec. 1, 1914 1,496,690 Vanderveer June 3, 1924 1,506,064 Holland et al Aug. 26, 1924 1,549,162 Swanson Aug. 11, 1925 1,668,184 Aldeen May 1, 1928 1,712,226 Padesky May 7, 1929 1,909,151 Kleinhert May 16, 1933 2,361,765 Grimes Oct. 2l, 1944 2,536,799 Divizia Jan. 2, 1951 

